Moon Knight (miniseries)

Moon Knight
"I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams."
Genre: Superhero Action Adventure Psychological Horror Running Time: 40-50 minutes Country: United States Release Date: March 30, 2022 - May 4, 2022 Network(s): Disney+ Created by: Jeremy Slater Distributed by: Disney Platform Distribution Starring: Oscar Issac May Calamawy Karim El Hakim F. Murray Abraham Ethan Hawke Ann Akinjirin David Ganly Khalid Abdalla Gaspard Ulliel Antonia Salib Fernanda Andrade Rey Lucas Sofia Danu Saba Mubarak Seasons: 1 Episodes: 6 Previous show: Hawkeye Next show: Ms. Marvel

Moon Knight is an American television miniseries created by Jeremy Slater for the streaming service Disney+. Based on the Marvel comics character of the same name, it is the sixth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the franchise's films. Slater serves as head writer, with Mohamed Diab leading the directing team.

Moon Knight premiered on March 30, 2022, and will run for six episodes until May 4. It is the part of Phase Four of the MCU.

Why It Embraces the Chaos

1. It introduced Moon Knight to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who is a white vigilante with glowing eyes with an outfit that invokes a mummy who stalks out punishment to the point where a monstrous hound thing scrambles away in fear. Even more pronounced when Steven's eyes suddenly take on a white hue and the outfit manifests around him as if possessed. It appears that he would cross over to the MCU films and perhaps would eventually get his own feature film, after this miniseries.
   • As per the norm with Moon Knight. Steven/Marc is a very, very unwell man. He also dresses up like a mummy wearing a cape, and beats up a jackal-headed monster (who may or may not be Anubis) like it owes him money.
   • Additionally, Oscar Issac really steals the show, as he greatly portrays Steven Grant/Marc Spector and the paranoia that goes down as the former goes into a mental breakdown by gaining his major character development.
2. Moon Knight has always dipped into the horror aspects of the Marvel Universe, both the physical and psychological kind, and the show isn't afraid to terrify the audience out of their minds.
   • Khonshu. He's very imposing and frightening to look at. Not to mention that he constantly goads Marc and Steven to commit murder or other heinous actions to enact his "justice". While he seems to care for Marc like a son at times, he's almost not shy of threatening to kill Marc if he screws up.
   • Steven being an alter in a system without knowing it is straight up terrifying when he wakes up from a violent blackout that leaves him covered in blood and confused.
3. Creepy and thrilling soundtrack by Hesham Nazih; it helps is that the music would help break Egyptian stereotypes by revealing some of the country's lesser-known contemporary art to international audiences, describing it as a "beautiful score that is Egyptian, but it's international at its core, it's universal".
   • The trailer is set to a remix of "Day 'n' Nite" by Kid Cudi. The new, creepily ambient music combined with the original song's surreal and somber lyrics capture the feel of Moon Knight perfectly.
   • "Every Grain of Sand" by Bob Dylan plays as we're first introduced to Arthur Harrow, with the lyrics playing on his role as a devout cult leader who cares very much about his cause.
   • Engelbert Humperdinck's "A Man Without Love" is heard as we're introduced to Steven Grant, which emphasizes the show's London setting while simultaneously invoking the feelings of loneliness Steven feels in his day-to-day life.
   • The credits theme for the second episode, "El Melouk" by Ahmed Saad, is a bombastic Egyptian mahraganat song that suits the show's new setting going forward.
   • The main theme for the series, composed by Hesham Nazih, perfectly captures the dread and terror that is Moon Knight himself, all while sounding epically powerful as any superhero theme would. The usage of ominous chanting from the choir also fits the whole Egyptian mythology motif the show has to offer.
4. It's rather more understated, but the very beginning does a fantastic job of selling the show's Psychological Horror Mind Screw nature. Steven explains that he's having trouble separating his dreams from reality, and to that end, we see him shackled to his bed, staring intently at the ceiling, listening to a self-help tape on how to stay awake... and then he wakes up. Did he fall asleep without realizing it, or was that entire opening clip All Just a Dream? The series drives home that Steven can't tell where his dreams end and real life begins, and it seems that the audience can't either.
   • Speaking of itself, something is horrifying about the Time Passes Montage as the voices overlap and he's shown laughing maniacally before he wakes up and bolts out of bed and the leash connected to his ankle snaps him back to reality, as if he's really starting to lose it and is just one moment away from snapping.
5. The use of "Day 'n' Nite" by Kid Cudi adds the sound of a ticking clock, particularly when it repeats "Now hold the phone" up to the reveal of Steven finding the phone sends an uneasy, and hard tone throughout the series.
6. The first episode ends with Steven, cornered in a bathroom with an Egyptian monster banging on the door, allowing Marc to take over his body. The beast rips into the bathroom and tackles him, followed by a Battle Discretion Shot as we hear punches, the roars of the monster, and Marc's grunting. Then a sink is hurled out of the bathroom and into the wall, followed shortly by the beast trying and failing to flee before being dragged back inside and beaten to death by Moon Knight himself, revealed in all his glory.
7. The third unnamed alter, who is considerably more brutal and efficient than Steven or Marc, combined with the fact that he usually seems to appear to protect the body when they're in great danger. In the mid-credits scene of the finale, it turns out this is indeed Jake Lockley, Marc's third alter from the comics, as many viewers expected.
8. Arthur Harrow is shown to be a legitimate well-intended Extremist who cares very much about his followers (for the most part) and has Undying Loyalty to Ammit herself. His Affably Evil persona contrasts perfectly with his genocidal objectives, and Ethan Hawke really delivers on portraying him.
9. Today, it's your turn to lose." Hearing Oscar Isaac speaking his native tongue, especially as a Pre-Mortem One-Liner, is something else, especially after everything Harrow and Ammit has done.
10. Many viewers have fallen in love with Oscar Isaac's British accent as Steven, particularly with his line "I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams", which also makes the accent great.
11. It spices up the superhero formula with a cocktail of comedy-horror and a twist of old-school adventure and works amazingly as a horror superhero for that reason.
12. From time to time, it has more connections to the MCU than the shows it releases on Netflix despite not having cameos in them.
13. Jeremy Slater has shown fantastic skills as a creator since he worked on horror shows and films, which improved his skills significantly.

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